In praise of Grandparents that go above and beyond…. By Kirsty Gordon, JustKids Coordinator Upon retirement, many grandparents expect to have a rich role with their grandchildren while also having time for themselves and other interests. For grandparents raising their grandchildren full time, that’s just not the case. In my job as the Justkids coordinator,… Read More

By Shawn Bayes, Executive Director During a three week period a few months ago, each morning as I came to work, I saw the same car either in the parking lot or the street in front of our office. It was loaded with belongings and I suspected a homeless woman was living in it because… Read More

By Jodi Sturge Director, Homelessness Initiatives A drop-in centre is exactly what it sounds like – a place where people can come by and be welcomed. EFry runs two women-only drop-ins, Maida Duncan in New Westminster and the Surrey Cornerstone. The Cornerstone is fairly small, really more of a big room than a centre, but… Read More

EFry’s volunteer-driven Storybook Program is our most popular in-prison program. It connects incarcerated parents and children through the power of shared stories. We are fortunate to receive many wonderful letters from both participants and their children’s guardians telling us how a simple recording of a parent reading to their child can maintain and even form… Read More

By  Kirsty Gordon, JustKids Coordinator Summer days, drifting away…. Well, here we are starting our fifth week of the second year of the EFry’s Blue Sky Summer Camp season, and it just keeps getting better! This year, we have really emphasized learning about the lush, fertile land where the camp is situated in the Fraser… Read More

By Bonnie Moriarty, Managing Director, EFry Housing First is a US homeless support model gaining popularity in Canada. It’s based on the concept of moving chronically or episodically homeless people directly into permanent housing. Our federal and provincial governments have set aside $6.5 million to provide local agencies in B.C. and nationwide with funding to… Read More

By Niru Turko Acting Director, Community Initiatives Women leaving prison are at a high risk of homelessness. Finding a place to live right after release and getting support in making the adjustment can mean the difference between successfully transitioning to community life and ending up in situations that can lead back to incarceration. That’s why… Read More

By Jodi Sturge Director, Homelessness Initiatives EFry’s shelters continue to operate at full capacity and our staff has reported an increase in the number of women with undiagnosed or untreated mental health issues. Last year, I attended the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Supporting the Promotion of Activated Research and Knowledge (SPARK) training to learn… Read More

I seem to have known instinctively that creative writing was linked to wellbeing. I began writing poetry when I was 10, fiction earlier still. And even then, when something upset me, when a friend and I would have a fight, I’d turn it into a story or poem. Something about putting those negative experiences on… Read More

By Justine Patterson Clinical Director, Family Counselling & Addictions Services Being a mother to young children is one of the biggest barriers for women wanting to attend residential addiction treatment programs. Mothers are often forced to choose between caring for their children or entering treatment. Some women fear that their children will be apprehended if… Read More